Milwaukee Brewers 2024 International Review

Top Of The Class

The top signing this year for the Brewers was 17-year-old Venezuelan shortstop Jorge Quintana, who got $1.7 million. Quintana has grown to 6-foot-2, 185 pounds and stands out most for what he does in the batter’s box. He’s a disciplined hitter who tracks pitches well and has a simple, easy swing from both sides of the plate. He has good bat control and performed at a high level in games in Venezuela with a chance to be a high OBP threat.

Quintana is strong with more physical projection in his frame, so while he doesn’t have the explosive bat speed of some other high-end signings his age, there’s a chance for more of his doubles to turn into home runs and develop average or better power. Quintana is a fringe-average runner who doesn’t have the first-step quickness or range many scouts prefer at shortstop, but he’s a reliable fielder on the balls he gets too, moving his feet well and showing good defensive instincts. He should get a chance to develop at shortstop, though third base seems more likely, with an average arm that would fit there. 

Names To Know

Jesus Made, SS, Dominican Republic: Made, 17, was one of big three international signings this year for the Brewers, landing a $950,000 bonus. He has grown to 6-foot-2, 195 pounds, a physical, athletic shortstop with a chance to hit for power from both sides of the plate, especially from the right side. Made fires the barrel through the zone with good bat speed and a knack for driving the ball with backspin, flashing above-average raw power. Some scouts thought his contact skills were solid for his age, though it could end a power-over-hit profile. Made is an above-average athlete with plus speed and an arm that’s at least a 60 and potentially a 70 on the 20-80 scouting scale. He will need more polish defensively and could end up outgrowing the position, with third base or center field potential landing spots. 

Luis Peña, SS, Dominican Republic: Peña is the other of Milwaukee’s three big international signings this year along with Quintana and Made, joining the Brewers for an $800,000 bonus. At 5-foot-11, 185 pounds, he has a strong, compact build for 17 that’s packed with explosiveness. He’s a righthanded hitter whose swing can get long, but he has shown solid bat-to-ball skills for his age because he picks up spin well with a flatter path to the ball.

He has the combination of strength and bat speed to drive the ball for hard contact, though his approach is geared more toward line drives than loft right now, with the potential for plus raw power. Peña doesn’t have the long, gliding strides of a lot of speedsters, but he’s a power runner with 70 speed on the 20-80 scale. He has to clean some things up with his actions to stay at shortstop, but his athleticism gives him a chance to stay there, with a plus arm that would also fit at third base.

Joandrew Peña, SS, Venezuela: A $500,000 signing, Peña is 6-foot-3, 175 pounds, a lanky, long-limbed hitter from the right side. Peña has shown solid contact skills for a 17-year-old his size as he grows into a frame that lacks much strength now but has a lot of space to fill out, giving him a chance to grow into a power bat once he packs on more weight. Peña trained as a shortstop but will probably slide soon to third base, where he has the arm strength to play, though depending on his physical development he could move across to first base. 

Handelfry Encarnacion, OF, Dominican Republic: Encarnacion, 16, stood out early as one of the more advanced lefthanded hitters in the Dominican Republic before signing with the Brewers for $400,000. Early in the process, Encarnacion was small but has grown to 5-foot-11, 170 pounds with his bat still his calling card. He has consistently hit well against live pitching, recognizing pitches well and using short, efficient swing with a flat path and good plate coverage. It’s mostly gap power, though given his youth and physical growth, there could be more coming. How that power develops will be important for Encarnacion, who is athletic enough to have a shot at center field, though he’s not a burner runner, so he could end up in a corner.

Frederi Montero, SS, Dominican Republic: Montero, 17, showed power projection at an early age. He has leaned out some (6-foot-2, 185 pounds), flashing signs of lefthanded power now with more to come as he continues to get stronger, with a likely power-over-hit offensive game. Signed for $300,000, Montero trained as a shortstop when he was an amateur, though he will likely see more time at third base in pro ball. 

Luis Corobo, C, Venezuela: Corobo (5-foot-11, 185 pounds) has a pair of power tools for a 17-year-old catcher between his power and arm strength. He’s a high-energy defender who is still cleaning up his receiving but has an above-average arm and gets rid of it quickly, so he’s adept at limiting stolen bases. His power grades out above his pure hitting ability, with over-the-fence pop now and a chance to grow into above-average raw power. He signed for $232,000.

Engel Paulino, OF, Dominican Republic: Signed for $170,000, Paulino is 5-foot-9, 160 pounds at 17 with the bat speed that helps him generate sneaky power for his size from the right side of the plate. He’s an athletic mover in the batter’s box and comfortable letting the ball travel deeper into the hitting zone, allowing him to drive the ball well to right-center field. Paulino has experience training as an infielder but moved to center field, where he’s expected to develop as his primary position, though he could have value in a utility role if he’s able to bounce between the dirt and the outfield.

Jeremy George, OF, Panama: The Brewers signed George for $170,000, getting one of the more exciting athletes from Panama for this year. He’s 6 feet, 165 pounds at 17 with quick-twitch athleticism and plus speed that gives him a chance to play a premium position in center field. Coming from Panama, George hasn’t faced the same caliber of pitching that his peers from the Dominican Republic or Venezuela have, so he will be tested more at the plate this season, but it’s the athleticism and speed that stick out the most with him. 

Victor Garcia, LHP, Mexico: Garcia, signed for $150,000, is already 6-foot-2, 240 pounds, a physically mature build for 17, with strength that has led to an advanced fastball in the low-to-mid 90s. He gets good angle on his fastball and has deception that helps it play up, with his fastball his best pitch and farther along than his slider and changeup. 

Carlos Done, OF, Dominican Republic: Another $150,000, Done is a righthanded hitter with a strong track record of hitting in games He’s built like a catcher with a stocky, compact frame (5-foot-10, 180 pounds) at 17 and should see time in center field but could move around all three outfield spots with a bat-driven profile. 

Carlos Carra, RHP, Mexico: Carra signed with the Brewers later in the process, joining the club for $140,000 at the end of April. He pitches with a smooth, low-effort delivery that’s easy for him to repeat and pound the strike zone with a fastball up to 91 mph. He’s 5-foot-11, 180 pounds at 17, standing out more for his polish than his projection, moving well on the mound and showing feel to spin a curveball with good shape and a solid changeup for his age.

Juan Martinez, SS, Venezuela: Martinez stands out more in games than he does in a workout. Signed for $125,000, Martinez is 5-foot-11, 170 pounds without huge tools but a knack for putting the bat to the ball from both sides of the plate with gap power. He’s not the type of athlete who immediately captures attention at shortstop, but he’s a smooth, instinctive defender with a good internal clock. 

Sleeper Watch

Dominican outfielder Jose Anderson signed with the Brewers for $60,000 with an impressive track record of hitting in games, especially relative to his signing amount. He’s 6 feet, 185 pounds with excellent bat control from the right side, with a disciplined approach and hand-eye coordination that produces a high contact rate. His power has started to trend up too, so it’s a mix of contact and some emerging juice. His bat is his calling card, with a chance for center field but a potentially landing in a corner. 

Among pitchers, the Brewers signed 17-year-old lefthander Enderson Mercado for $10,000. Mercado had trained in Venezuela as a position player and generated attention from scouts early in the process because of his tools, but when hitting didn’t click, he moved to the mound late last year and was throwing in the upper-80s. Since then, his velocity has ramped up to touch 95 mph with a chance for more still to come. He shows the early makings of a solid slider but is still understandably gaining feel for both his secondaries and pitchability given his lack of mound experience. 

Dominican righthander Miqueas Mercedes (6-foot-3, 200 pounds) was eligible to sign in 2023, though he was on the younger side of the class and is still 17 until July. He signed this year in March for $50,000 and already shows exciting raw stuff, dialing his fastball up to 97 mph and pairing it with a high-spin slider in the low-80s.

Righthander Dariel Jaquez from the Dominican Republic has a lean 6-foot-3 frame and is an athletic mover on the mound. Signed for $67,500 at 17, Jaquez was pitching in the upper-80s as an amateur but has crept more into the low-90s more recently with projection for more and a changeup that’s ahead of his slider.